Tom Ginsburg, "An International Court for Constitutional Law"

Constitutions are quintessentially national documents, expressing the fundamental values of a sovereign people. They are traditionally interpreted and enforced by local constitutional courts. Yet increasingly constitutions must be understood in a transnational environment: they are produced with the help of international actors; they are interpreted by international bodies and foreign states; and they are even enforced from abroad on occasion. In this context, a particularly interesting development is a recent proposal by the President of Tunisia to establish a formal international court to adjudicate constitutional issues. The talk will consider this proposal.

Tom Ginsburg is Leo Spitz Professor of International Law, Ludwig and Hilde Wolf Research Scholar, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. This talk was recorded on May 8, 2013, as part of the Chicago's Best Ideas lecture series.